Mr. Holmes (2015) (English Language)

Review

104min

Genre:    Drama, Mystery

Director: Bill Condon

Cast:      Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker…and more

Writers:  Mitch Cullin , Jeffrey Hatcher & Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Ian McKellen stars as an elderly Sherlock Holmes now retreated to the English countryside to contemplate his life but as his mind starts to fail him the hazy memories of his final unsolved case begin to haunt him, he will inevitably struggle to unlock the mystery that precipitated his retirement in this British period piece from the director of ‘Kinsey’ and ‘Gods & Monsters’.

You might be forgiven for thinking you’re watching “Gandalf Holmes” after the first 15 minutes of this film and not just because it stars Sir Ian, his characterization of the legendary sleuth shares a lot with the pointy-hatted wizard, from his charmingly grumpy nature and deep raspy voice to the large prosthetic nose.

 However McKellen’s performance quickly goes beyond this comparison and the nature of Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation into a candid portrayal of the ravages of old age and complexities of loneliness, solitude and regret, the fact that it’s a Sherlock Holmes story is almost incidental and ‘Mr. Holmes’ is about as far away from any recent portrayal of the mythical detective as you can get.

 A stylishly shot, charming and measured drama that has little mystery element but is a surprisingly engaging character study, it happens to be about Sherlock Holmes but could almost as easily be about any brilliant and revered man of achievement, in his twilight years, struggling to retain what’s left of his greatness while relating to the few people left who might care about him.

 The narrative in ‘Mr. Holmes’ relies heavily on flashbacks that might make the plot slightly muddled and some audiences may take issue with the pace of the film which is deliberately slow, but the movie works primarily due to the masterful performance of its lead who seems to age like a fine wine using all of his subtlety and experience to hold the story together, not to mention plenty of humour and playfulness with generations of “Sherlock Holmes” clichés.

 The Bottom Line…

‘Mr. Holmes’ is Sherlock Holmes as you’ve never seen him and may not be to everyone’s liking or expectation, for us it’s a surprisingly moving and engaging character piece held together by an acting masterclass from one of Britain’s greatest thespian talents.

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Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Without a Clue (1988)

Subversive comedy with Sir Michale Caine starring as Sherlock Holmes, a drunken rogue who happens to be an actor hired to give life to the character created by the real detective and brains of the operation, Dr. Watson played by Sir Ben Kingsley.

Directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley and Jeffrey Jones among others.

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